Thanks to INSTM’s researches, Tunisia has transformed blue crab into economic boon ( Hechmi Missaoui)

Tunis: Thanks to the researches and studies of the National Institute of Sea Sciences and Technologies (INSTM) Tunisia has succeeded in valorising some invasive species such as the blue crab, by transforming them into an economic boon, INSTM CEO Hechmi Missaoui said this at a conference held on Friday to mark the Institute's centenary. The blue crab first appeared on the Tunisian coast a few years ago, and has become a real scourge for both fishermen and marine fauna. INSTM studies, which have proposed solutions to minimise its damage, have been able to transform this threat into an edible and exportable local product, he explained. Referring to the history of the INSTM, Missaoui recalled that the organisation, which was founded in 1924, was tasked with carrying out research into certain marine species such as starfish, bluefin tuna and eels, adding that this mission subsequently expanded to include other intervention fields such as pollution and the over-exploitation of fisheries resources, in order to kee p pace with socio-demographic, technological and environmental changes. He also pointed out that the Institute carries out an annual inventory of fishery resources, with the aim of optimising the management of these resources, whether traditional or invasive. The Institute had set up cages to reduce the damage caused by blue crab, to assess the stock and to conduct a socio-economic study of how it is exploited. Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse